Chiclana - El Puerto de Santa María - Costa Ballena - Las Redes & El Ancla - Puerto Sherry
Photo Galleries: Beaches - Springtime - Vejer de la Frontera

About the Costa de la Luz

Costa de la Luz, located in the south west corner of Spain, extends from Tarifa in the South all the way to the Portuguese border. It can be divided into three sections.

The southern area, from Tarifa to Conil has long sandy beaches and the small towns of Zahara de los Atunes and Barbate are popular with surfers and sailing enthusiasts who enjoy the robust Atlantic waves and breezes characteristic of the area.

The most westerly region extends from the Guadalquivir River, through Huelva to Ayamonte and Portugal. It is largely undeveloped, with the exception of one or two purpose built resorts such as La Isla Canela.

The central section, from Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the Guadalquivir River includes Chipiona, El Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz and Chiclana de la Frontera. This is an easily accessible region with UK flights landing in Jerez, Sevilla, Gibraltar, Malaga or Faro.

Puerto Sherry Marina It is an area that has something for everyone. Sanlúcar, Chipiona, Rota and El Puerto are old fishing towns where seafood restaurants and tapas bars abound. 'Romerijo' in El Puerto sells freshly cooked fish and shellfish by weight and these are eaten from paper cones at the table, with the dry local wine a perfect accompaniment. Novo Sancti Petri near Chiclana and Costa Ballena, outside Chipiona are modern beach resorts both centred around a golf course.

The Bay of Cádiz is ideal for sailing and water sports. And, of course, there is an abundance of golden beaches. Puerto Sherry (photo) has 753 moorings, ancilliary services, a sailing school and a scuba diving school.

Culture

The Cathedral in El Puerto (photo) dates back to the 15th century and is a faovorite nesting place with storks.

Cádiz is reputedly the oldest town in Spain
Christopher Columbus stayed in the castle in El Puerto before setting off for the Americas
Jerez is the capital of Flamenco music - visit the tablao flamenco in Summer and enjoy a feast of music and dance
El Puerto has one of the oldest bullrings in Spain
The 13th century Castillo de Luna in Rota was built on the site of a Moorish convent

Weather

The climate is mild with short winters and plenty of sunshine which allows visitors and residents to spend lots of time out of doors - strolling along the long sandy beaches, playing golf, sailing, taking part in one of the many local fiestas or just sitting on the terrace of a bar, enjoying the local food and wine.

Festivals

Feria which takes place in May/June is a major event in most towns - a time for residents to don their colourful flamenco costumes and parade around the feria ground, many on horseback. It is an opportunity to meet friends, enjoy tapas and the local dry sherries, fino or manzanilla and to dance sevillanas to the accompaniment of the andaluz music which pulsates in every tent. And there are many more festivals and celebrations : the February Carnaval in Cádiz, Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Sevilla, La Feria de Primavera (Spring festival) in El Puerto, Sanlúcar's horse races along the beach in July and the September wine festival in Jerez. There is never a dull moment.

What to See

This is an excellent base for touring, with Sevilla, Gibraltar, Arcos de la Frontera and the Pueblos Blancos all within a day's drive. And locally, you can tour the sherry bodegas of El Puerto and Jerez, take a ferry across the bay from El Puerto to historic Cádiz, wander through the narrow streets of the old town centres, see the horses perform at the Royal Andalucian Equestrian School in Jerez or visit the renowned Doñana nature reserve on the Guadalquivir.